The Music of the The Rebirth of Art & Music Copyright © Frankel Consulting Services, Inc.
The Renaissance Renaissance is the French word for rebirth. The intellectuals and artists in Florence, Italy and throughout Europe wanted to restore the philosophical and artistic ideals of the Ancient Greeks and Romans and put an end to the “Dark Ages”.
Can you name some of the famous artists of the time? Wow. I am impressed. Here is a quick look at some of the artists and their work…
Leonardo Da Vinci
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Michaelangelo
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Florence was the center of it all.
Why Florence? It was where all of the intellectuals and artists of the time lived and worked - similar to Paris in the 1920’s. Florence was a wealthy city in the 1400’s - and where there are rich people, there are usually good artists working for them. Today, the Uffizi Gallery houses many of the masterpieces of the Renaissance Era.
So what about the music?
Oh they were making music alright.
And they were inventing instruments, too.
The Harpsichord
The Violin
The Transverse Flute
The Viola da Gamba
What is unique about Renaissance Music? Beginnings of four-part writing with complex counterpoint. The overall mood of the music is happy. Dance music flourished during this time. Smoother more flowing melodic lines. Much more use of imitation as a compositional device. Madrigal singers performed more complex vocal music.
Renaissance Composers Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina ( ) William Byrd ( ) Josquin des Prez ( ) Orlando de Lassus ( ) Guillaume Dufay ( )
Palestrina
William Byrd
Josquin des Prez
Orlando de Lassus
Guillaume Dufay
Madrigals
What’s ahead… Critical listening Creating our own “Renaissance” accompaniments using the computers Learning Sibelius